EU-Russia relations to undergo upgrade

Date: 30/04/03

A BLUEPRINT for radically changing the way the EU handles relations with Russia has been developed by the European Commission.

According to well-placed sources, the unpublished paper reflects growing unease at how dialogue with Moscow has yielded few tangible results.

Among its key recommendations are that the EU-Russia Cooperation Council, which normally meets at a senior political level once a year, should be more flexible. It envisages that instead of involving ministers or commissioners, the council could convene at the level of top officials whenever the EU or Moscow felt there was an issue requiring swift attention.

A Commission official explained that the plan was part of efforts to address the "fundamental problem of the different way the administrations work".

The plan pours cold water on a Russian suggestion to create a fully-fledged EU-Russia Council, mirroring the forum for NATO's dealings with Moscow. The Commission rejected this idea as it feels it could give Russia a say in EU internal affairs.

The paper should form the basis of a discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the next EU-Russia summit in St Petersburg on 31 May.

• EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana was due in Moscow today (30 April) to meet leaders of the Russian Federation ahead of the St Petersburg summit.

A blueprint for radically changing the way the European Union handles relations with Russia has been developed by the European Commission.